Is Your Favorite TV Show Making You Fat?

Based on many studies, we know that the amount of TV people watch and the amount they weigh are connected: people who are overweight often lead more sedentary lives and watch more TV.

But we’ve never considered if the TV content itself affects the amount and type of food they eat. Until now.

Researchers at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab evaluated the amount of food people ate when they watched different types of TV shows. They observed a group of 94 undergraduate students (57 female and 37 male) around 20 years old. The researchers assembled them into groups of 20 and randomly assigned them to watch 20 minutes of one of three shows. The different shows were the action-movie The Island, either with sound or without, or the talk show The Charlie Rose Show.

The results found that those watching the action movie ate 98 percent more food and 65 percent more calories than those who watched the talk show. The group who watched the silent version of The Island ate 36 percent more food and 46 percent more calories than those who watched the talk show.

“More stimulating programs that are fast paced, include many camera cuts, really draw you in and distract you from what you are eating. They can make you eat more because you're paying less attention to how much you are putting in your mouth,” explains Aner Tal, PhD, one of the main authors of the study. He comically labels the study “Action TV is Fat TV” in the video posted on Cornell’s website.

The takeaway

What we can learn from this is to [think before we snack][3] while watching TV or a movie. If you’re planning on watching Star Wars or Spider-Man, don’t bring a huge bowl of popcorn with you to the couch. Practice healthy eating habits by eating natural sweets like oranges or pears while watching a movie. Or practice good portion control by bringing a small bowl of ice cream or chips into your TV lair.